Bacteria associated with compost used for cultivation of Nigerian edible mushrooms Pleurotus tuber-regium (Fr.) Singer, and Lentinus squarrosulus (Berk.)

Abstract

The bacteria involved in an outdoor single phase composting using sawdust and wheat bran as substrates for cultivation of Pleurotus tuber-regium (Fr.) Singer, andLentinus squarrosulus (Berk.), two Nigerian edible mushrooms were identified. Composting was carried out for 2 weeks. The highest core and peripheral temperatures were 68 and 48oC, respectively, while the lowest temperature was 32oC. The highest number of bacteria in the core and peripheral compost were 1.46 x 106 and 6.90 x 105 cfu/ml, respectively. Bacteria isolated and characterized from the fermenting agricultural substrates include Bacillus polymyxa, Enterobacter aerogenes, Micrococcus roseus, Citrobacter freundii, Bacillus subtilis, Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus licheniformis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus andEscherichia coli. The implication of the presence of these bacteria is discussed.   Key words: Lentinus squarrosulus, Pleurotus tuber-regium, bacteria mushrooms, compost, fermentation.